Good morning,
I have a client who wants her hand held around a big convoluted property. Is there a handheld GPS receiver that would allow her to input Lat & Long provided by me for the corners, or better yet a .kml, so she could find her own way around?
Thanks! SS
Two packages let you enter points into your computer and download them to Garmin GPS units and maybe others.
DNRGPS originated at Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and is now open source. You can download it here: https://gisdata.mn.gov/dataset/dnrgps
ExpertGPS is a subscription package that works somewhat like DNRGPS but has some pretty advanced mapping capability. Free trial here: https://www.expertgps.com/download.asp
I would download DNRGPS and enter the points. The software will create a KML file, which I would do and give her the file. I'd have her bring her GPS to the office and download the points for her.
But then, I'm retired and don't make a living surveying, but it might be a nice low cost value added item.
You don't want to walk your client around the property?
Her phone.
Have her download the Google Earth app and email her a kml file. I've provided that to a few clients with large acreage so that they could always get back near the corner to find it again if they get lost. They just need to understand that it is for getting in the vicinity of not right on the corner/line.
She wants a handheld or her hand held? It would appear that space between those two words would make something of a difference in their expectations.
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
@gary_g no
Can you produce a Georeferenced PDF? Providing client a "map" in, say State Plane CS *.pdf can be viewed on any phone with free AVENZA app installed - Apple or Android. Super simple on the user side, and most importantly, you control the map space, labels etc.
AFAIK, ALL Garmin devices allow loading a *.GPX file to them by copying into the GPS directory on the device. I know that works with Garmin vehicle devices (I have tried it on two of them) and GPS64 handheld (a bit dated now) and I would guess nothing has changed in that regard. I use the dash mounted Garmin all the time to drive to either search areas, new aerial control points for layout or for finding my own old control or even public control such as NGS points. Once it is in the unit it is no different than selecting any other point of interest and it navigates you right to it.
I use Expert GPS to do that conversion, well actually I go from my GNSS office software (Leica Infinity) to KML/KMZ (an export option in the software) and then read that into Expert GPS and export the GPX file, but I am sure there are other ways to do it. GPX is very common format for waypoint data to be stored and moved around. Here is one I just found that is free: https://kml2gpx.com/
SHG
@shelby-h-griggs-pls Thank you!
As Shelby mentions, I load in the proposed coordinates for imagery/LiDAR control points into my Garmin. I load in a csv file (longitude,latitude,name) using the windows garmin program called POILoader. Indispensable for that type of work
I used to use BaseCamp for Garmins about 10 years ago. No idea if it still works:
https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/software/basecamp/
It still works, I use it occasionally to load search coordinates into my etrex 20.